As the representative of the Ainu people, I wish to extend my warmest greetings
to the delegations of each member state and to the other representatives
of our indigenous brothers and sisters. Let me also express my sincere
thanks to the Secretary-General, the Honorable Mr. Butros Butros-Ghali
and Mr. Antoine Blanca, Under Secretary-General for Human Rights, for the
invitation to speak here today.

Today, December 10th, is Human Rights Day, marking 45 years since the
adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights, a day which should rightly
be commemorated by all mankind.
Moreover, as the occasion of the inauguration of the International Year
of Indigenous People, I can safely say that today is a day that will remain
deeply engraved on the memory of indgenous peoples.
For we Ainu, who have formed a distinct society and culture in Hokkaido,
the Kurile Islands and southern Sakhalin from time immemorial, there is
yet another reason today will have special significance in our history.
This is because up until 1986, a mere six years ago, the government of
Japan denied even our extence in its proud claim that Japan, alone in the
world, is a "mono-ethnic nation." However, here today, our existence
is being clearly recognized by the United Nations itself. Had these ceremonies
been held a few years earlier, I would probably not have been able to make
this speech as the representative of the Ainu people. In the eyes of the
government, we were a people whose existence must not be admitted. However,
you need not worry. I am most definitely not a ghost. I am standing here
firmly before you.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the land of the Ainu people
was unilaterally appropriated by the gavemment of Japan under the auspices
of a large-scale colonization and development project known as "Hokkaido
Kaitaku." We were forced to become a part of the Japanese nationals.
As a result of border negotiations between the Russian and Japanese governments,
our traditional territory was carved up and many of our people suffered
forced relocation. Moreover, the Japanese government pursued an aggressive
policy of assimilation from the very beginning. Under this doctrine of
assimilation, the Ainu language was banned, our traditional culture was
denied, our economic livelihood was destroyed, and the Ainu people became
the object of oppression, exploitation and severe discrimination. We were
unable to continue our traditional way of life in our ancestral lands,
as fishing became "poaching" and cutting wood in the hills was
branded as "theft." This is an experience common to indigenous
peoples everywhere. Although Japan was reborn as a democratic nation after
the Second World War, the policy of assimilation has continued while severe
discrimination and economic daprivation remain. Unfortunately, this situation
is not even seen as worthy of serious government investigation in Japan,
which has never taken our rights as an indigenious people into consideration,
although we have been petitioning the government since 1988 for legislation
that would provide some minimum guarantees of our rights and dignity as
a people.

However, I did not come here to dwell upon the past. In the spirit of
the International Year of Indigenous People, the Ainu call upon the governments
of Japan and member states to enter into "a new partnership"
with indigenous peoples. We call for the removal of injustices through
cooperation and negotiation, values that were at the heart of our traditional
societies. We invite the government of Japan to enter into a dialogue with
us, as partners in an effort to create a viable role for indigenous people
in the future of Japan. This is not merely a domestic issue; the overseas
activities of Japanese corporations and the foreign aid efforts of the
Japanese government are having serious effects on the livelihoods of indigenous
peoples all over the world. This situation is linked to the indefference
shown towards indigenous people within Japan. Through a new partnership,
we believe the government of Japan will come to realize its responsibilities,
not just towards the Ainu but towards all indigenious peoples.
In more concrete terms, as an indigenous people living whithin a highly
assimilationist and industrialized society such a Japan, the Ainu request
that the United Nations move speedily to set international standards that
guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples against various forms of ethnocide.
Furthermore, as an indigenous people from the Asian region, where there
has never been a tradition of considering the rights of indigenous peoples,
the Ainu urgently request that the United Nations set up an international
agency to clarify the situation of indigenous peoples, and put in place
a mechanism for positive financial support of this agency by member states.
The Ainu people, through negotiation with the Japanese government, desire
the implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples being presently
discussed here at the United Nations, including the rights to self-determination
as a people. However, we do not perceive this right to self-determination
as being a threat to the national unity and territorial integrity of member
states.
What we are after is a high level of automony based on our fundamental values of "coexistence with nature" and "peace through negotiation." We do not seek to create new states with which to confront those already in existence. We aim to achieve, through our traditional values, the development and realization of a society in which all peoples can live together in dignity.
In the Ainu language, we have a word, URESHIPAMOSHIRI, which signifies our concept of the world as an interrelated community of all living things. In this new era in which the world is grouping towards a redefinition of the international order following the end of the Cold War, we believe "a new partnership" of indigenous peoples which includes this world view can make a lasting and valuable contribution to the global community. It is the desire of indigenous peoples to make the future, full of the hopes of all mankind, an even better place. IYAIRAIKERE. Thank you very much.